Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Please be informed that the Menteri Besar of Selangor Tan Sri Dato' Seri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim would like to meet residents of DUN Subang Jaya this Saturday at 3:00pm in MPSJ's Laman Kenanga (same floor as the lobby). Purpose of the brief meeting is to provide an update to the residents on efforts made by the taskforce appointed by State Government.

Thursday, March 17, 2011

THE Selangor Appeals Board hearing over the USJ 6 Telekom Malaysia land issue last Friday raised eyebrows when a traffic consultant said a development project can continue even though traffic in some of its surrounding areas was rated ‘F’.

Traffic consultant Amir Hamlan Abdullah from AZ Traffic Management Consult, who was engaged by the land vendor and developer, defended his traffic impact assessment (TIA) report done in 2008.

He told the Appeals Board it was still acceptable for the development project to continue even though most of the junctions were rated ‘F’.

The F rating is described as ‘saturated traffic’ at its worst.

“I agree that by 2020, the area will be a mess and most of the junctions will be at levels E and F,” he said when asked by lawyer Gobind Singh Deo who represents the residents who are appellants in this case.

When questioned by Gobind, the consultant said the number of cars generated from the project would not be high and hence will not have a big impact on the roads.

Also in attendance current MPSJ councillor for USJ 6, Rajiv Rishyakaran

“As roads in this area will reach saturation point, the additional traffic will be diverted elsewhere. This traffic problem can also be tackled and improved with public transportation when the LRT comes into Subang Jaya, USJ and Puchong,” said the consultant.

The TIA and traffic impact on surrounding neighbourhood were topics heavily deliberated and heard by the board comprising president Datuk Abu Bakar Awang and members Ho Khong Ming and Datuk Azmeer Rashid.

The appellant in this case is resident Lee Wan Nam while the respondent is the Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) and interverners being TM Facilities Sdn Bhd and Pujangga Budiman Sdn Bhd, who are the land vendor and developer respectively.

Residents are challenging the State Planning Committee and MPSJ’s approval for the proposed development of one block of nine-storey commercial block with two floors of sub-basement carpark in November 2008.

The residents also contend the land was designated as a Telekom exchange or utility reserve but land vendor TM Facilities has since sold it to the developer for commercial purposes.

Earlier, USJ 11 resident Dr Leong Choon Heng who is also the head of transportation and logistics programme for the Malaysia University of Science of Technology in Kelana Jaya from 2002 to 2010, was called in as witness.

“Based on the TIA report, I opine the conclusions made do not reflect the data that is being collected.

“There are internal inconsistencies in the report and I am of the opinion the proposed construction can only make the surroundings worse,” said Leong.

He contended that USJ 6 was already a mature residential neighbourhood and with the main road jammed up, more cars would be dispersed to neighbourhood streets.

“Small roads and parks will suffer the spillover effect in the form of increased cars that may be speeding.”

MPSJ legal department director Anita Abd Jalil then told Leong since he could not be considered a qualified professional, his own counter-report could only be taken as a public opinion.

“Do you know the MPSJ has approved for the main egress and ingress of the project to be at the main road and not the side road as not to affect the residential area?

“Also, the entire project is fenced up. Do you also know we approved the development based on the developer has provided more carpark spaces than what the council has expected?” she asked.

The lawyer representing the land developer and land vendor, Abu Bakar Jais, asked Leong if he agreed the details collected and reflected in the report is quite extensive and if it was a fair report.

Leong reiterated the conclusions made are inconsistent with the data collected, and said he only thinks it is fair in terms of the extensiveness of research and the methodologies used for the data collection.

Abu Bakar Jais said his client is providing 158 parking lots and the building is for use of office only.

Board president Abu Bakar said there will be a minimum 100 cars coming out of the building once ready, although not all at the same time.

“A backflow would be created because cars from inner roads will have to stop to give way to cars on the main road that are at a gridlock. There will be those that will find alternative side roads seeing the congestion on the main road.

“So the question is how do you stop outside drivers from going into the neighbourhood? And by then, will be level of service in this area be F+++?” he asked.

He also admitted the conclusions made are inconsistent with the data collected.

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, who sat in the proceedings, said she is disappointed with the State Planning Committee for not calling for an independent traffic study and chose to rely on the developer’s traffic study.

“In June 2008 when there was a public hearing on this project, the residents had asked for an independent traffic study to be conducted since they do not have resources on their own. However, they were not given one.

“The developer did its traffic report in September 2008 and in November, the project had been approved. The traffic report was only given to the residents in January 2009,” said Yeoh.

She said as the project is a conditional development, the residents were never notified the details of the conditions as they were dealt directly between MPSJ and developer.

The site is still under the title of Telekom although it had sold part of the land on a conditional sale to the developer.

Yeoh said in 2005 and 2006, MPSJ had ruled that the land cannot be subdivided purely because it is a Telekom reserve and questioned how a utility land can be sold.

This case has had a long history following the approval given in late 2008. The aggrieved residents filed an appeal in March 2009 and in October 2009. There was a revocation on the approval but it was not endorsed by the State Planning Committee.

However, the residents’ joy was shortlived as several MPSJ councillors and its then president Datuk Adnan Md Ikshan cancelled the revocation in an ad-hoc meeting on April 2010.

Friday, March 4, 2011

THE Millennium Park in SS13 Subang Jaya is coming back to life as people are now carrying out aerobics exercise there twice a week.

The exercise, conducted by professional trainers, started last July and is on Saturday mornings from 7.30am to 8am.

Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh, who initiated the programme, is extending it to an additional day on Wednesday night from 8pm to 8.30pm.

All ears: Yeoh (right) speaking to the residents after an aerobics session at the Millennium Park on Wednesday.

“I have funds from my allocation for this year’s programme and hopefully with this additional day, working people and the young can come after work to exercise,” said Yeoh on Wednesday during the exercise programme.

She said mostly senior citizens came on Saturday morning for the exercise.

She said not many young people attended the sessions and hoped the night programme would be more convenient for them.

“The Subang Jaya Municipal Council (MPSJ) has also restored this area into a recreational space and installed lighting in October last year.

“The lights would make this site safer for people and hopefully after a year or two, the trees planted would have grown and provide shade,” said Yeoh.

Also present was MPSJ engineering department director Ismail Shafie who said the two flood lights installed at the site cost RM23,000.

The company conducting the exercise programme is Daily Muscle Athletic Consulting.

Its director and head coach, Noel Chelliah, said the exercise was suitable for all ages as it was a fun aerobics routine and not too intense.

“We want people to enjoy the exercise. We have between 30 and 50 people and sometime even more,” said Chelliah, adding that the instructors are also certified life savers who can perform first aid in an emergency.

Yeoh said some of the residents had brought up the need for the site to be brighter as the current lights were insufficient.

“I have discussed this with Ismail and we have agreed to install an additional light using my allocation.

“It will take at least one to two months as the tender has to be called for,” she said.

She added that she also learnt from Alam Flora that rubbish collection was being carried out every morning at 7am to keep the area clean.

“I wish to urge more residents, especially those staying nearby in SS12, SS13 and SS14, Subang Jaya, to join this exercise programme,” she added.

SS14 resident Evelyn Low said she started joining the activity in September last year.

“I am an exercise freak and this is a healthy pursuit to enjoy with my friends,” said Low, 60.

She said she had attended all the sessions. Before this she has not set foot on the park.

Another regular, B.A. Heng, from SS13, said exercising had improved his health as he previously had a high-cholesterol level.

Like Low, he had no reason to go to the site until he started joining the activity in July last year.

The park built and launched at the turn of the millennium in 2000 was the centre of controversy for being a white elephant.

It was underused and later abandoned despite the millions of ringgit used to build it.

Some of the ugly, artificial structures like metal palm trees and a bird plus concrete pillars were put up there but all these were torn down when MPSJ took back the land after a contract initially signed with a F&B operator to maintain and upgrade the park was terminated when nothing materialised after six years.

Real trees have since been planted at the park near the busy Kewajipan roundabout.

I am returning taxpayers' funds back to taxpayers for their benefit. No more multi million dollar white elephant projects like those initiated by the Barisan Nasional government. For comparison between then and now... please click here.